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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27328108">Sweet Spooky Treats</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Okami01/pseuds/Okami01'>Okami01</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Soft Goro Week Halloween2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Baking, Fluff, Gen, Soft Goro Week 2020, Unreliable Narrator</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 22:47:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,286</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27328108</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Okami01/pseuds/Okami01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ann Takamaki comes over to Akechi's house with treats and a surprise. The surprise is the fact that she still wants to be friends with him and Akechi doesn't get why. </p>
<p>For Soft Goro Week Halloween Edition! Day 3 - Treats</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akechi Goro &amp; Takamaki Ann</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Soft Goro Week Halloween2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1995217</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sweet Spooky Treats</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Hello, Goro-kun." Ann Takamaki yells into Akechi's intercom system.  He blinks a couple times, not fully understanding why she's here. She waves a bag around furiously. By herself so it can't be any Phantom Thieves stuff. </p>
<p>He thinks that he could ignore her. It can't be that important. But whatever the reason, she's come to visit him. And it makes Akechi curious. It's a good opportunity to observe her. Regrettably, the easiest way to find someone's weakness is to spend time with them.</p>
<p>He looks at a message on his phone from only a few hours earlier. </p>
<p>" Hi, Goro-kun. Do you want to hang out?"</p>
<p>Somewhere along the way, Akechi texted back. " Sure, that sounds nice. "</p>
<p>Yet for some reason, he hadn't actually expected her to be here. It's his fault. Or rather it's her fault for having no plans and coming here. But if Akechi thinks on it any further he'll never open the door.</p>
<p>So he pushes the button to talk.<br/>" Hello, Ann-chan, I'm glad you're here."</p>
<p>She says her hello's then her voice gets further away, until he can hear her footsteps and her knocking at the door. </p>
<p>" So you live alone."</p>
<p>She looks kind of sad as she looks around, then she catches herself. </p>
<p>" You do as well, hmm?"</p>
<p>Now she really looks sad. And Akechi doesn't know why she'd come here just to be depressed about her selfish parents. Surely she could do that alone. At least they still called themselves her parents, hadn't discarded her in the street like trash and-"</p>
<p>Ann stares at him. She shakes her head and clutches onto her bag. " Sometimes… I get lonely too, so I figure we have to stick together."</p>
<p>Akechi resists the urge to frown. Speak for yourself, he thinks. Doesn't say. Because even worse than being lonely is acknowledging that you are. Akechi isn't doing either of those things. </p>
<p>Akechi smiles. " That makes sense. " </p>
<p>She only thinks to pity him, which is disgusting, because his situation reminds him of her own and so, she's treating him the way she would want to be treated. That's the explanation earliest to follow along with. </p>
<p> No doubt how she is treated. By the rest of the Phantom Thieves, her actual friends. Ann Takamaki seeks Akechi out quite a bit </p>
<p>" Stick together….  by breaking apart cookies." She pulls out a package of Halloween cookies with a label on the front that says sale. Ann rips the label off and shoves it in the bag.</p>
<p>Before they'd made cookies at LeBlanc. Then at Ann's house. Now here. So many of the Phantom Thieves seem to believe any problem can be solved with food. </p>
<p>Not that Akechi hates food. He still thinks it's ridiculous of course. But he'll eat Ann's somehow always half-burnt cookies or Akira's ridiculous good coffee. </p>
<p>" I can brew tea," he offers and she nods. " That sounds awesome. "</p>
<p>He's not sure that it does but he doesn't feel like arguing. </p>
<p>Ann looks around as they go into the kitchen  </p>
<p>" Your house is really nice."</p>
<p>" Ahh thank you. </p>
<p>Ann looks at the cookies and turns the knob to the right preheating temperature. </p>
<p>" There's something I wanted to ask you," she says, all suddenly serious. </p>
<p>Akechi had been waiting for this.  Everyone wants something and despite her attempts to just be a nice friend, Akechi knows better. </p>
<p>" Hmm" he responds, keeping his voice light, "what is it?"</p>
<p>" Do you actually like cookies?"</p>
<p>Akechi sets the kettle on top of the stove's flame. He laughs. It comes before he can even fake it. Because when he looks at Ann she's so serious even though it hardly matters. What difference does it make what he likes? She came over already with her stories about loneliness and friendship. </p>
<p>" I like cookies," and he can't quite keep whatever emotion that's seeping through. </p>
<p>" I guess I always think that you know… we're sort of the same. O want to be a model and you're always on tv. And I wouldn't do it if I didn't want to but… I think it's hard you know. So we have to let loose sometimes." </p>
<p>" And…. You think we can let loose by eating cookies."</p>
<p>" It does sound kind of silly when you put it like that."</p>
<p>Maybe Akechi was presuming things about her. About how he feels so she has to be the same way. But maybe not everyone is as bad underneath as he is. He doesn't like to be wrong in nos calculations.</p>
<p>" I believe that it would sound silly no matter how you put it." </p>
<p>Ann scowls and unsurprisingly, Akechi feels no heat behind it. Sometimes it still takes him time to realize that Ann was just a slightly goofy harmless teenager. Maybe that's how he should be.</p>
<p>" I guess… anyway. what do you like."</p>
<p>There's no reason to lie, he supposes. </p>
<p>" Sushi."</p>
<p>Ann makes a face that's sort of a frown. </p>
<p>" Well, you did ask."</p>
<p>" No, no it's fine… I just hmmm can't really afford that."</p>
<p>" Why are you trying to afford it."</p>
<p>She looks at him.and shakes her head. " Because we're friends."</p>
<p>Akechi doesn't remember agreeing to that. She keeps saying it anyway. </p>
<p>She's nice though. And he's still waiting for something bad to happen, he thinks he always is. But maybe there isn't any harm in enjoying it a little bit until the time comes.</p>
<p>Ann yelps suddenly.</p>
<p> " The cookies," she yells </p>
<p>" Oh dear, how did you burn them that quickly."</p>
<p>" I wanted them to be done faster so I turned up the heat."</p>
<p>" Patience is a virtue,"</p>
<p>Ann groans. " Yeah, yeah. Good things come to those who wait," she says in English. Or at least he thinks she does. </p>
<p>" Is there anything else you like?"</p>
<p>Akechi figures if she's going to keep arriving with half-burned things, it may as well be something he really likes. </p>
<p>" Pancakes, I guess.</p>
<p>" Ooo next time we could make them and put candy inside them."</p>
<p>He watches as Ann fumbles in a drawer, then he finally decides to use his extremely underused pot holder and help out."</p>
<p>" We could get crepes."</p>
<p>Ann's eyes practically sparkle. " How do you know I like crepes." </p>
<p>I can't exactly afford not to know, Akechi thinks bitterly. </p>
<p>But he can't help but laugh again staring at the half-burnt cookies and Ann trying to pour the tea.</p>
<p>" It's hard not to notice."</p>
<p>" It's true." </p>
<p>" Though now you have to tell me what's been going on." </p>
<p>So they sat down. Ann insists on talking about his barely-there non-existent romantic relationship with Akira. She swears Akira likes him and is determined to play matchmaker. They talk about her model job and job's TV work and homework and decidedly not Ryuji who Akechi is sure she has a crush on. And he doesn't particularly care. But for some reason, it's definitely not the worst way he's ever spent his time.  </p>
<p>Ann is a hard worker. Sometimes, for things that she cares about. She complains about things, invests her time in nonsense, gets fired up over stuff that probably won't help either way. But she's so sure that there's a part of Akechi that wonders if maybe things can be alright. Or if she's just an idiot. </p>
<p>She smiles and promises that they'll make pancakes next time. Whenever that is. Akechi looks forward to it. Only so he won't be surprised when she stops by again or invites him someplace that he sort of wants to go. Maybe next time he'll invite her someplace. To get those crepes she's always talking about. Ann talks about food and skincare and baked goods with a passion. At the very least, Akechi has determined that for all her drama, she's a very real person.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Happy Soft Goro Halloween! Thanks for reading!</p>
<p>I will forever stand by the fact that Akechi and Ann should be friends.  He's like all skeptical and she's like I do want something... friendship. And snacks. </p>
<p>@Tavitay on Twitter</p></blockquote></div></div>
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